Frigid conditions in Detroit moved up the start time of the Yankees Game in Detroit. The Yankees lost this game 4-1. The Yankees gave the ball to the nominal ace of their starting rotation, Carlos Rodin, and he was again outdueled. This time, it was by Detroit starter Casey Mize. The Yankees may lose all 3 games in Detroit as they face Tarek Skubal and Jack Flaherty, both very good starting pitchers. All 3 games in Detroit were night games and are now day games because of the frigid conditions in Detroit. The frigid wind chill was the issue. Have major league baseball games ever been moved up because of the weather?
Lineups For the Game
Detroit had Justyn-Henry Malloy batting first and acting as the designated hitter. Kerry Carpenter entered the game as the designated hitter in the seventh inning. Andy Ibáñez batted second and was the third base. Trey Sweeney pinch hit for him in the seventh inning and stayed in the game to play shortstop, moving Javier Baez to third base. Spencer Torkelson played first base and batted third. Riley Greene was playing left field and batted fourth.
Veteran Manuel Margot batted fifth and played right field. Zach McKinstry replaced him in the seventh inning for defensive purposes. Javier Báez was playing second base and batted sixth. Colt Keith was playing third base and batted seventh. Jake Rogers was the catcher and batted eighth. Ryan Kreidler was the center fielder and batted ninth. For the Yankees, Ben Rice led off and was the designated hitter.
Aaron Judge batted second and was the right fielder. Cody Bellinger was playing left field, batting third. Paul Goldschmidt batted fourth and played first base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. batted fifth and played second base. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop, batting sixth. Austin Wells batted seventh and was the catcher. Trent Grisham played batted eighth and played center field. Orlando Caberra batted ninth and played third base. This was the batting order that had to deal with the frigid conditions.
Scoring Summary: Yanks Against the Tigers
In the third inning, the Tigers took a 3-0 lead on an Andy Ibanez home run. Rodon had walked the previous two Tiger batters. The Yankees cut the Detroit lead to 3-1 when Aaron Judge hit a single in the fourth inning and scored Trent Grisham. The Tigers extended their lead to 5-1 on a two-run single from Justyn-Henry Malloy in the fifth inning.
In the seventh inning, Trey Sweeney grounded into a force play, and a run scored, extending the Tiger lead to 6-1, which made the Yankees task of coming back more difficult. Jazz Chisholm Jr reached on a fielding error, and Clay Bellinger scored as the Yankees cut into the Detroit lead, scoring 6-2.
Notes from the Game
Yankee starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt did very well in his first rehabilitation start for AA Somerset. He stuck out 7 in 3 2/3 innings. He will make one more rehabilitation start in the minor leagues before joining the Yankee rotation on April 15 or 16. When Schmidt returns, Will Warren, who has options, could be sent to the minor leagues. His poor start last night made the decision easier for the Yankees.
Because of the frigid conditions, the start times for the Yankee three-game series in Detroit. The games were all supposed to start at 6 pm., but have been moved to 3, 1, and 1 pm. Rodon did not wear sleeves in the frigid conditions. It was 38 degrees at game time with a 16 MPH wind. The Yankees needed Rodon to pitch well because they have been taxing the bullpen. It was snowing in Detroit during warmups. It started to snow again in the fourth inning, and then the sun came out later in the fourth.
Yesterday, the Yankees sent Brent Hedrick to AAA Scranton, and they re-signed Adam Ottavino, so the old friend is back. Hedrick pitched very well. Rodon left after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh inning. He pitched well, throwing only two bad pitches. However, he was outdueled again, this time by Casey Mize. All told, Rodon pitched 6.0 innings, striking out 8 but giving up a huge home run. Tommy Kahnle, a former Yankee, pitched the 9th inning against the Yankees.
Conclusion
The Yankees desperately wanted to win this game because tomorrow, they face Detroit ace Tarek Skubal in the frigid conditions. The Yankees are starting Carlos Carrasco. He pitched well in his first start, but the pitching advantage is definitely with the Tigers. In fact, the Yankees could lose the next two games in Detroit, though Yankees ace Max Fried will try to prevent that. Either way, the Yankees will not be in first place anymore when they leave Detroit.
